Orlando Magic shut down Nik Vucevic for the rest of the season

Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

NEW YORK — Orlando Magic center Nik Vucevic will not play for the rest of the season, coach Jacque Vaughn said before Sunday night's 97-88 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

Vucevic had missed the Magic's four previous games because of a sore left Achilles' tendon. Since the beginning of the 2012-13 season, the team has been ultra-cautious in bringing players back from injuries.

"Overall, I don't think the message has changed, whether you look back at any player that has been hurt for an extended time for us," Vaughn said before tipoff Sunday. "We've had a consistent approach of getting that player back comfortable on the floor, and at the same time, I've always said that I need to be comfortable with the player back on the floor. We won't have practice time. I haven't seen Nik on the floor in 10 days.

"[It's] just being wise. I'd be sick to my stomach if he was not 100 percent with his Achilles and that triggered some other part of his body. I think overall we'll be wise as an organization, and get him comfortable going into the offseason."

Vucevic, a 23-year-old 7-footer, shot baskets and ran sprints on the Barclays Center court about 90 minutes before tipoff but didn't play against the Nets.

The decision to shut Vucevic down is sure to lead to the perception that the Magic are trying to preserve their status as the team with the league's third-worst record and, therefore, preserve their odds for the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery on May 20.

Vucevic posted averages of 14.2 points and 11.0 rebounds per game this season.

Vucevic said he's disappointed he won't play again this season, but he added he agreed with the move.

"I obviously want to be out there with my teammates and help them win games," he said. "As a competitor, I always want to be on the court, but unfortunately for me, I had a couple of injuries [this season]. It wasn't anything major, but a couple of minor ones; the concussion was the biggest thing, and it kept me out.

"The last thing with the Achilles; it was sore. I felt like I was feeling pretty good and I could've played tonight. But after talking to Coach and the medical staff, we all agreed that maybe it would be best for me to rest it now and then have more time to attack the offseason and make sure I take care of those little things."

Point guard Jameer Nelson also did not play against the Nets. Vaughn and Nelson said Nelson strained his left groin during the first half of Friday night's loss to the Washington Wizards.

"It is sore," Nelson said. "It's just one of those things you have to be careful with."

Nelson said he's not ruling out playing Monday night against the Chicago Bulls or in Wednesday night's season finale against the Indiana Pacers.

Second lottery pickThe Magic will have an additional first-round pick as a result of the trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Magic will receive either the Denver Nuggets' or the New York Knicks' pick — whichever pick is less favorable to the Magic after the lottery is conducted.

Because both the Knicks and the Nuggets have been eliminated from playoff contention, it's now guaranteed that the Magic will have at least two top-14 picks in the upcoming draft unless the Magic trade one or both of those picks.

If the current league standings hold, the Magic most likely would end up with the 12th overall pick in addition to their own draft choice.